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Thursday, August 19, 2010

I hope you don't mind, but this is the 2nd invited review this week... (Which is a lot for my blog, all things considered)

It's just that Ramadhan is a special occasion, and I wanted to take the chance to check out all the Buka Puasa buffet invitations that came my way. (So that you, in turn, can have a peek at it too... to help you pick a place to dine - these buffets are not cheap!)

Anyway, before I start, here are my usual disclaimers:1) I have not been paid to write this, but neither have I paid a cent for my meal,2) I will still be as objective as possible re. the food/ restaurant, and3) If I go back to the restaurant incognito and find that the food/service is horribly different from this experience, I will amend my ratings here...

Ok?:)

This time, I got the chance to try out the Ramadhan Santapan Buffet at the Living Room Restaurant, in the Westin Hotel KL. The front area of the restaurant really does look quite cosy, like well, a living room :)

The main area of Living Room....

Of course, to accomodate the hungry crowds, the tables extend allllll the way in to the back but it is still comfortable and well laid out:

Further in The Living Room....

It was very easy to find our table though *lol*:(See! - Bloggers Table)

BEWARE! Bloggers at work!....

As to be expected of any high class hotel buffet nowasdays, there was an insane amount of variety (ranging in the hundreds, I'm sure!) ranging from local favourites (Malay/ Chinese/ Indian) to international fare (Italian/ Middle Eastern/ etc)(Apparently all prepared by chefs from their signature restaurants - Eest, Prego and Qba)

- Grilled fish with spices and potatoes:

Platter of flakey fish....

- Many simmering pots of curry:

Take your pick of tummy warming curries....

Other than the array of ready made food waiting in warmed trays, there were also a number of "Food Stations" where chefs were stationed to prepare your food fresh:(Wah. Look at the concentration and attention into making that Murtabak!)

I started off with the essential Malaysian buffet item - Satay! (Chicken/ Beef/ Lamb, freshly grilled and served with a yummy chunky peanut sauce):

Beef, lamb and chicken stacked up....

Overall, it was yummy - the meat was lean (good) and fairly tender, but of course if it were sliiiiightly unhealthier (with just a tad more fat) then it would have been even yummier. :D

At the same Food Station, there was also a lot of fresh fish to choose from, where the friendly chef will quickly grill up whatever you choose:(I think there was Tilapia, Sting Ray and a few types of river fish to choose from)(Oh, and this was my Tilapia of choice staring at me accusingly)

Curious, I also sampled some of the selections from the steaming hot Dim Sum baskets:

Caution: Hot!....

- Pink Char Leong with prawns:

Cute colour....

Other than being a TAD too salty (too much sauce) it was luvverly - nice texture of the yau char kwai with small chunks of bouncey prawns inside and the nice pop-pop-pop of the little fish eggs on top.:)

- Beef Pho with Duck meatballs:

Pho....

- Cured salmon with interesting twists like added Szechuan spices:

Slices of salmon....

- I don't know how I did it but I also had some pasta:(Pictured here is my Pasta Napoleana? Well, it's just ribbon pasta in a tomato based sauce)

More carbs!....

Overall, not bad :)I liked that the sauce was salty yet tart, matching well with the al dente pasta.(Would have liked some meat in it for extra bite, but I guess I should have ordered it with the bolognese sauce)

By this point, my tummy was stretching at its seams.... ... but how can I skip dessert? :) :) :)(IMPOSSIBLE)

Other than the usual (but yummy) ais kacang, ice cream, cakes and tarts, there were interesting desserts like Gulab Jamun as well as these yummy chocolates:

Delicious bites....

(The crispy nutty one as well as the smooth berry one were really nice)

It also seems to be all the rage now to have Chocolate fountains,... a new essential addtion which I like a lot!:

My dream is to have one at home....

Since it also happens to be the Mid-Autumn festival time, there were also a range of delicious mini mooncakes:(Other than the traditional types, they had a some interesting flavours like Chocolate Nutella and Ferrari Rocher!)

Classics and new twists as well....

For those amongst you who crave that pungeant "King of Fruits"? Don't fret** because they have some D24 (?) durians in the fruit section, just for you.(** Although I did fret - EEEEE. Don't like durian!)

J says, "YUCK!"....

These ran out pretty quickly though, so I guess they must have been delicious to all the durian lovers who were there.

WAH.I ate TOO much. (-_-)'

... and it's not like I actually puasa-ed that day some more.(Oh well, a food blogger's work is never done! LOL)

Note: The buffet pricing is tiered (more expensive on Fri - Sunday):- Monday to Thursday: RM 108++ per person- Friday to Sunday: RM 128++ per person(If you have the Starwood Privilege card, use it for a 25% discount!)

PS/ Thank you so much to Ming and Yoke May of the Westin KL for the invite... and also for being such lovely hosts.

And to A lil fat monkey (*hugs* So nice seeing you!), Chris & Christine, Ai Wei and Lily: Thanks for being such lovely company. (I'm looking forward to seeing all your posts on this buffet, as much as I am afraid how bad all your camera DSLR skillz will make me look! *lol*)

:)

So, it's: Amazing variety of food ranging from local faves to International fare, good balance of ready made food and freshly made food BUT other than the fact that the price may be a bit steep for many (REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR STARWOOD PRIVILEGE CARD!), there's nothing really bad to say....

17 comments:

i think its only going to get better as hotels will realise its such a simple way to get publicity for essentially helping them finish the food! (i doubt i have ever seen all the food wiped out at a buffet ever)

Ah!! The Living Room.. I could still vividly remember the last time I came here which was last year's Valentine's Day.. why? Because:1) Jenn was in her 8 months pregnancy and I wanted to do something romantic before Sher Ryn came to our lives!2) We stayed in The Westin for only RM250nett using Starwood privileges, and3) I still have the complimentary buffet voucher for 2.. which mean our meal here was FOC!! LOL!!!

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About Me

A grumpy yet sweet Malaysian chocoholic on her encounters with food and the adventure called life....
I can't believe I've managed to keep this up since 2005. Hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I have. :)